Chapter 173: Amputation
Inside a circular hall capable of accommodating hundreds of people, Xin Ping lay motionless on a long table. He was still in a coma, surrounded by seven or eight people, all of them looking like students.
An elderly man with snow-white hair sat at the side of the long table, carefully examining Xin Ping's left hand. The hand was tightly bound, from palm to elbow, with almost no visible skin, and the exposed fingertips were noticeably darkened.
This sight would chill anyone's heart.
"Has Ma Fei not arrived yet?" Without raising his head, the elderly man asked gently. If Chen Mu, Dong Junwei, and the others were present, they would recognize him as Shi Yuanjun, the current principal of Ziwei High School. But in a face-to-face encounter, nobody in the school would believe that this once fifty-something-year-old principal would suddenly become so aged.
Shi Yuanjun used to have a scholarly and refined appearance, with a well-proportioned figure and a radiant demeanor. However, after the apocalypse, within a few days, he had aged to this extent. Now, he was emaciated, his movements slow, and even standing had become an issue.
Yet, all the students present still revered him.
Song Yu stood on the side.
Although Shi Yuanjun's question was not directed at anyone in particular, Song Yu voluntarily responded, "Ma Fei lives on the 11th floor, and it'll take some time for him to come down. I've already sent someone to hurry him up."
But before Shi Yuanjun could speak, a tall and thin boy next to them snorted, "I see some people can't wait for Xin Ping to die."
As if he hadn't heard those words, Song Yu continued to respectfully stand beside Shi Yuanjun.
The boy who spoke felt a bit disgruntled by Song Yu's lack of response.
Shi Yuanjun still didn't lift his head but sighed softly, saying, "Where there are many people, conflicts are inevitable. But everyone shares the same goal, so there's no need to spoil the atmosphere over trivial matters. Xiao Song, go ahead and urge Ma Fei again."
"Yes." Song Yu bowed his head and then gestured to a girl beside him. The girl nodded slightly and closed her eyes.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.
Within a minute or two, hurried footsteps sounded from directly above the hall.
The hall had windows all around, so lighting was not a problem. In the center, there was a thick pillar surrounded by a circular staircase.
Ma Fei, who had once unlocked Yang Buan's abilities, walked quickly towards them.
"Principal."
"Ma Fei, come and see Xin Ping."
"Sure."
Ma Fei walked up to the long table and saw the barely breathing Xin Ping. He paused for a moment, then looked at Song Yu.
Song Yu nodded slightly.
Only then did Ma Fei step forward.
"Let's see if we can remove the iron shackles from his hand." Shi Yuanjun's breath was somewhat unsteady, and his sentences were long, with the last few words trailing off, making them difficult to hear at times.
However, upon seeing the scene before him, Ma Fei understood what had happened.
"It seems to be stainless steel? Shouldn't be a problem." Ma Fei lifted Xin Ping's left hand, and thin black blood seeped out from the top, accompanied by a nauseating stench.
The boy struggled with his thoughts for a while, then punched the long table.
Soon after, the girl had people carry Xin Ping out of the hall.
Outside, the sun shone brightly.
But a bloody surgery was about to take place.
...
Indoors.
Everyone, including Song Yu, remained still.
Shi Yuanjun looked at the dejected Liang Yan and gave a gentle smile. "Xiao Liang, why don't you tell everyone what happened?"
Liang Yan rushed back to Qingbei and managed to bring back Xin Ping intact before the capsule lost its effect. By now, he was exhausted, but he knew he couldn't rest until he explained everything clearly.
"Principal, do you remember the sudden attack on a storage room at Yi Zhong last time?"
"Yes," Shi Yuanjun nodded. "You and Xin Ping were in charge of monitoring the newly discovered No. 9 survivor gathering point, right?"
"Yes, we set up camp at an elevated point from noon the next day. We took turns monitoring every day, and we didn't dare to relax," Liang Yan replied.
"Why did it turn out like this?" the tall and thin boy asked angrily.
"Tong Bin, don't interrupt," Shi Yuanjun said.
The boy named Tong Bin fumed but stopped speaking.
Liang Yan seemed afraid to offend him and explained to Tong Bin, "We monitored for several days, but no one came out from there, so we didn't know how many people were inside. But it seemed like there were plenty of food reserves in the storage room.
"But just a few days later, a man and a woman suddenly came out."
"Oh?"
"My suggestion was to quickly come back and report, and then let the organization decide on the next plan. However, Xin Ping insisted on tracking those two people."
"If that's the case, it's not your fault."
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